However, Ciabatti did admit that Ducati’s intentions are to keep things how they are: “But the direction we think the correct one is to keep everything like it is on the factory team and on Pramac team. So we’ll start talking with respective managers and also to Paolo Campinoti during this weekend to see if we can make it happen. Obviously, it’s a process what we’ll start this weekend.”
A multiple-rider crash saw Hildhan Kusuma, Adenanta Putra, Tatchakorn Buasri and Abdul Mutaqim all go down, and soon after the Red Flag was shown, bringing the race to an early end. That meant that last time over the line decided the winner – and it had been close. By an infinitesimal 0.060 the win goes to Nishimura, with the Japanese rider just ahead of Munandar, and Matsuyama completes the podium. Thongnoppakun and Igarashi complete the top five.
Conditions were spot on for the intermediate class to better their Friday times and every rider did so, with a place in the top 14 and Q2 beckoning. The two Speed Up riders were at the sharp end of the times from the off and it was home rider Navarro who would end FP3 at the top of the combined standings thanks to an early flying lap – but only just. 0.068 is the gap between the top five riders in Moto2™ heading into qualifying, with SKY Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini fourth at the end of play, the Italian also getting his work done in the early stages of the session to sit 0.017 off Lowes.
However, FP3 would end badly for Petronas Yamaha SRT. Franco Morbidelli, while battling to keep his place in the top ten, suffered a big highside at Turn 13, with Quartararo then experiencing his first premier class crash at Turn 2 – luckily for the 20-year-old, he was safe from dropping out the top ten.
Yesterday’s pace setters, Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Sergio Garcia and Alonso Lopez, did improve from yesterday but slipped back to seventh and eighth place respectively. They finished just ahead of another pair of teammates in Leopard Racing’s Marcos Ramirez and Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who rounded out the top ten.
Going on a night ride can be a calming and exhilarating experience for any motorcycle enthusiast. The absence of traffic and more quiet surroundings are just some of the reasons why riding at night is worthwhile.
But apart from quiet and open streets, bikers still face considerable risks as the streets go darker and darker. Accidents are more likely to happen during the night, so you will have to be extra careful when they begin their journey at sundown.
For that, let’s take a look at a few practical tips to keep yourself safe and secured.
Check your lights
Perhaps the most important bit of maintenance you should be routinely performing is checking and testing your lights. For this, focus on the headlight and turn signals. Electrical issues can cause these lights to malfunction, so you should be able to check for wiring problems. Most commonly, you will just need to replace the bulbs for when they burn out. The last thing you want as a biker on the roads at night is for people driving a car or truck to be unable to see you.
Keep yourself visible
You could thank street lamps for illuminating your path, but when you’re in certain areas where you’re almost invisible, you might want to make sure that you and your bike are highly visible to other motorists. One option is to install LED lights. You can also wear reflective jackets and pants and add reflective tape to certain parts of your motorcycle. Not only will these approaches help you avoid oncoming traffic, but they will also protect you from the dangers lurking behind every corner.
Drive sober
If driving under the influence during the day is considered dangerous, then a night ride after a few drinks is a deathwish. Many motorcycle accidents are caused by irresponsible riders. Going on a late night drinking spree won’t be all that worthwhile if you’d end up spending the rest of the night in the hospital, or worse. Never give in to the temptation if you really want to get home in one piece. But often, there will be a traffic collision in which you’re not the one who’s intoxicated. Especially if you’re left with major fractures and made to go on an extensive hospital stay, you will need to work with a drunk driving lawyer who can help you get properly compensated after an accident.
Stay alert
Drunk drivers are the only risks you should worry about during a night ride. You also need to be cautious of places where animals cross as well as other obstacles on the road such as open manholes, road bumps, and traffic cones. As a good rule of thumb, you should be able to regulate your speed. Doing so gives you enough time to react on the last minute after spotting an obstruction.
You can’t really avoid going on a night ride where there are too many risks to your safety. But with these tips in mind, you can avoid being another casualty in the dark.
The UK Department of Transport will test the prototype cameras in the coming months, but will not fine offenders.
Yet!
Noise cameras
“New camera technology to be trialled by the government aims to measure the sound levels of passing vehicles to detect those that are breaking the law on noise limits, and could use automated number plate recognition to help enforce the law,” the UK Department of Transport notice says.
“Research commissioned by the Department for Transport, found that a noise camera system could help tackle extremely noisy vehicles which breach legal noise limits.
“It could also help to catch those who rev car or motorcycle engines beyond legal limits, making life a misery for those who live close by.”
While the UK DoT could not supply us with any images of the camera, they did provide this tiny drawing showing a camera pointed at an oncoming car.
However, the noise cameras would take away the subjectivity and provide authorities with a method of fining offenders like a speed camera.
Australia is watching and listening
We contacted police and road authorities in each state to gauge their interest in the noise cameras.
We received mainly non-committal replies saying they monitor the development and introduction of all traffic enforcement technologies around the world.
WA Police were the only ones to admit they are aware of the UK prototype noise cameras.
“While there are no current plans to trial such a camera in Western Australia, as with all emerging technologies, WA Police Force will monitor the activity in the UK and seek information on its operational effectiveness,” a media spokesperson told us.
UK Motorcycle Industry Association CEO Tony Campbell supports the trial.
“With growing pressure on the environment, including noise pollution, illegal exhausts fitted by some riders attract unwanted attention to the motorcycle community and do nothing to promote the many benefits motorcycles can offer,” he says.
“All manufacturers produce new motorcycles that follow strict regulations regarding noise and emissions and we welcome these trials as a potential way of detecting excessive noise in our community.”
Returned riders who have had several years off the motorcycle for various reasons, may be over-represented in the crash statistics, but that is no reason not to ride. (Above photo used for humour reasons only!)
Some say the statistics are a furphy, while others (such as Professor Narelle Haworth of the QUT Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety) suggest returned riders should re-sit their licence.
If you are thinking about buying one of those shiny, new, high-powered sports bikes like the racers ride or that you used to race, you probably should reconsider.
Your ageing body might not be able to tolerate the crouched riding position any more. Perhaps a more upright type of bike would be better.
Seriously consider what type of riding you want to do, ask fellow riders for their tips and search through our reviews section.
Are you going to ride to your local cafe, commute daily, tour long distances or ride off the beaten track? This will determine what type of bike you should buy.
You don’t necessarily need the newest, biggest, most powerful or the most technological bike.
In fact, if you are a little wary you could drop it in your driveway, it might be best to start with a cheaper and lower-powered bike to get back into riding.
After all, you definitely will be upgrading your bike every couple of years. That’s just standard practice among mature-aged riders.
Be aware that most modern bikes at least have ABS which you may not be used to on a motorcycle.
When it was introduced to cars, there were many crashes where drivers felt the unusual pulse through the brake pedal and let go of the brakes.
The same can happen with a motorcycle.
Returned riders
Which brings us to the rider.
If you’ve not ridden a bike with ABS, you will need to learn how to use it correctly.
That means going back to school, or at least an advanced rider class.
There are many available and they are all pretty good and a great amount of fun.
If the courses are graded, start at the bottom and work your way up to advanced levels and maybe even track days on a closed circuit.
You can also brush up on your riding theory by checking out the many articles in our Tips/training section.
Riding requires a 100% commitment to concentrating on the road and its many hazards. Anything less can be lethal.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) came straight out of the blocks at Catalunya’s seventh round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship to top Friday’s timesheets.
Quick in FP1 and his fastest in FP2 enough to take over at the top, he ends Friday clear of the competition by almost three tenths. That competition made it an impressive four factories in the top four, however, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) in P2, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in third and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in fourth.
The morning session was a fairly quiet one by MotoGP standards, with a bit of a hairy entrance into turn 10 for Australian Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and a little snap at the same place for Marquez two of the stand outs.
But it would nevertheless prove a crucial session for the reigning champion as he was the only rider in the top 10 who didn’t improve his lap time in the afternoon. He didn’t fit a new soft tyre but was able to stay in ninth, so the ‘extra’ tyre on Saturday could prove a masterstroke.
Marquez also ran with the Ducatis in the afternoon – much to their mild chagrin – as Dovizioso and teammate Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) had headed out in tandem. They kept the advantage on the combined timesheets though, with ‘DesmoDovi’ in second and ‘Petrux’ taking P8, just ahead of the number 93.
So behind the four-factory fight at the top and those standout performances from the likes of Nakagami and Pol Espargaro, who impressed next? Second rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) put his Ducati in fifth and would doubtless have been the rookie talking point of the day if not for the Frenchman at the top, and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 to again make it both the Independent Team Yamahas ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes.
It wasn’t by much at Catalunya, however, with Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) an infinitesimal 0.003s behind compatriot and VR46 Riders Academy member Morbidelli. After a tougher run of late, especially on Friday and Saturday, it was a big step forward for the ‘Doctor’ at a venue he’s reigned more than anyone.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, completes the top 10 to slot in behind Petrucci and Marquez. The Brit was only 0.01s0 behind Marquez, too, with those two Hondas trailing Nakagami’s best lap by a couple of tenths. But then the number 93, as aforementioned, didn’t pop in a fresh soft tyre.
And neither did Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who finishes Friday in P11 and therefore outside the automatic graduation zone to Q2. The Suzuki rider also suffered a crash, but the weather forecast is fine for the weekend and Saturday is another day, so both he and Marquez will be gunning for a hot lap in FP3.
The likes of Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) in P14 and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P15 will be rushing to join them too, with Vinales one who, along with Jack Miller, dropped down the timesheets in the afternoon.
FP1 pacesetter Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) kept Moto2 day one honours at Catalunya after his 1m44.673s went unbeaten in the afternoon, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and HDR Heidrun Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro completing the top three and just 0.067s between them. Australian Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) was eighth fastest.
Alonso Lopez led rookie teammate Sergio Garcia to an Estrella Galicia 0,0 1-2 in the Moto3 category, with the two Spaniards having topped FP1 and no one able to overturn them in the afternoon. FP2’s quickest man was Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing), and he slots into third on the combined timesheets as he chases the Championship lead this weekend.
Who’s not a sucker for a nice new helmet? Especially when it’s a hand-built super-zoot high-end one from Arai. Our lead photo is the new HONDA XD-4 AFRICA TWIN, with officially licensed Honda graphics. But wait, there’s more.
Arai Press Release:
CORSAIR-X ISLE OF MAN GRAPHIC
Arai’s new 2019 Corsair-X Isle of Man Limited Edition graphic is available with an intermediate-oval interior shape and features all of Arai’s latest features and benefits. The new graphic arrives in dealerships early June.
SIGNET-X DYNO
The Signet-X Dyno graphic is new to the model line up with an MSRP of $829.95, and is available in Red, Yellow or White Frost.
ARAI DT-X SUZUKI ECSTAR
The Suzuki exclusive Arai DT-X Suzuki Ecstar, with an Intermediate Oval interior shape, can be found online or at Suzuki dealerships.
THE ALL-NEW ARAI RAM-X
Arai’s new open face RAM-X helmet is now in authorized Arai dealers. It comes packed with features, such as the Pro Shade, Pinlock Lens, and new VAS-Z shield system.